Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume1 Chapter3 (section)

=== 4 ===

"Well then, we must find out exactly what's in this old school building," Miko-san arrogantly declared. 

We took a break in the lab room, drinking the canned coffee that John brought. 

"Aren't you being oversensitive?" Masako commented coldly. 

"Shut up little girl. I'm not the same as a fake psychic who got popular just because of her looks." 

A small smile brushed through Masako's face. 

"Thank you for complimenting my good looks." 

Hmmm— That... Reminds me of someone. 

Miko-san disregarded Masako. 

"I believe it's an earth spirit." 

"An earth spirit is...?" I asked. 

...What? 

Miko-san looked fed up with me. 

"Didn't your assistant go through any training, Shibuya-kun?" 

"She lacks the ability to do so in this area, nor is she worth training." 

Naru-chan said, his finger toying with a nail. You jerk. You must've been itching to say that. 

Miko-san assumed a teacher's position. 

"An earth spirit is one that lives in a certain place." 

"You mean like [[Ghost_Hunt:Volume1_Translator's_Notes#Jibakurei|Jibakurei]][spirits that're bound to an area]?" 

"So you know difficult terms like that? But they're not the same. Jibakurei are bound to an area because of an event that occurred. Earth spirits are spirits of the land, known as Seirei." 

"Oh—" 

So there're actually different types of spirits. 

"Weren't a lot of shrines here before? In that case, there could be many of them." 

"I think it's a Jibakurei," Bou-san intercepted, "Didn't something happen at this old school building? A spirit must live here. It had to disrupt the workers' progress because it was scared of losing its home." 

"What do you think, John?" Naru-chan turned around to look at the foreigner. 

"I'm not sure. Aren't haunted houses usually caused by *[[Ghost_Hunt:Volume1_Translator's_Notes#Spoken English|spirits]] turning into *ghosts?" 

Naru-chan looked at the nail in his hand, then nodded. "*Spirit...seirei, *ghost is yuurei. Are you listening, Mai?" 

...Mind your own business. So you think my English is really bad, huh? 

"If it's a *spirit, then that means the earth spirit has some kinda relationship to the land. An' if it lives in a building, it woulda been a *ghost that might summon evil spirits or whatnot," John explained. 

I see. 

"If it's 'cause of a ghost, then that means the person who died in the house is a Jibakurei," 

John continued. 

"You guys don't believe it's an earth spirit?" Miko-san asked as she stood up. 

"I don't think so. It's Jibakurei," Bou-san said as he rose and stood beside John. 

John's sky-blue eyes mirrored his confusion. "It's early, an' we still can't agree on a conclusion." 

Miko-san stood up. "To sum it up, everything will be fine as long as it's exorcised. I'll get rid of it tomorrow." 

She announced, "I don't have time to waste on this insignificant case. I'll go home as soon as I'm done with the exorcism." 

Miko-san laughed, then waved as she left the lab room. 

Bou-san saw her off, then inquired about everyone's opinions. "What do you guys think?" 

Masako replied, "It's no use. I already said there aren't any spirits here." 

"But there are so many rumors about this place. How do you explain that?" I implored. 

"You didn't see anything bad happen, did you? A building this old will always have one or two rumors. It's like the school's Seven Wonders." 

Ah— What a confident tone. This person is more and more like that other guy. 

I couldn't help but retort. "Then why did the door lock on Miko-san?" 

"That was because she was a bit confused," Masako replied in a blunt, authoritative tone. 

So is that how it is.. True, some people will just unconsciously open and close the door. But weren't Naru-chan and Bou-san unable to open that door even with their strength combined? Can Miko-san unconsciously close the door so that it locked by itself? Then, without thinking, I laughed. 

Maybe Miko-san was so scared to death when the door closed that she couldn't help but cry out in fear. That would explain why she sounded so eager to leave after the exorcism. 

The dark, crimson glow of the sunset shined through the windows, leaving a rosy shine on the glass windows. 

"Naru-chan, it's getting dark." 

Naru-chan lifted his head towards the window. 

"Ah... We'll go home after the preparations are done," he said, rising from his chair. 

"Move the equipment into the classroom on the west side of the second floor." 

Okay— 

Bou-san wondered aloud. "Oh yeah, boy, you're not staying here, are you?" 

"Not today... But I might stay tomorrow." 

Huh? Then... What about me? 

While I was thinking uncomfortably, Naru-chan looked at me. "Come here after school tomorrow." 

"Um... Tomorrow's Saturday—" 

"It doesn't matter what day of the week it is. You must work." 

Uh, uh, uh. No, noooo. 

"Staying here is kinda..." 

"Then do you want to compensate me for the video camera now?" 

"...I'll be ready." 

Hmph. You really do act like a boss. 

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